Timing is everything. During a summer afternoon, at French Bay on Cat Island, the color of the water suddenly changed due to an incoming storm. For 60 seconds, the contrast was mesmerizing.

Photo by Alessandro Sarno

Hurricane Sandy had a huge impact on Cat Island. This home at Port Howe was completely devastated, leaving only a few walls standing. Vegetation and flowers have grown up, forming a beautiful frame for the bluest shades of the Bahamian sea.

Photo by Alessandro Sarno

Waking up early offers new perspective each day on Ship Channel Cay in The Exumas. I love to see our "pets" swim by and share the beach with Fred, a "potcake," which is the Bahamian term for mutt.

Photo by Alessandro Sarno

Toni the shark, Ship Channel Cay, Exumas

Toni, named by Nigel Bower, owner of Ship Channel Cay, is a reef shark and considered part of the Bower family. She has graced the water surrounding Ship Channel Cay for many years.

Photo by Alessandro Sarno

The band and crowd approaching Lakeview cemetery on New Providence Island captured my attention with color and music. This joyous parade was a celebration of the life of Vincent “Gus” Cooper, a Junkanoo pioneer and founder of the Valley Boys performers.

Photo by Alessandro Sarno

Calm but intense, Leslie is a New Providence native I met at The Caves.

Photo by Alessandro Sarno

Swimmers enjoy a beautiful patch of sea next to the world’s deepest known saltwater blue hole, Dean's Blue Hole, located in a bay west of Clarence Town on Long Island.

Photo by Alessandro Sarno

Enthusiastic students at play at the New Bight Premie School on Cat Island. None of them have ever heard of Italy, so I told them it was a country on the other side of the ocean where you can eat great pizza.

Photo by Alessandro Sarno

A tranquil evening at Highbourne Cay in The Exumas, just an hour's boat ride from Nassau. This is one of the few islands in the Exumas that can accommodate large yachts and it regularly caters to celebrity visitors.

Photo by Alessandro Sarno

Sunsets in The Exumas, especially here in Ship Channel Cay, mark the end of the day for the small population of the islands.